Manner make for discipline and I have been teaching etiquette and good manners to people of all ages for the last five years and I must say that most of us have a natural tendency to be kind.

However, listening to the latest teachers reports on the upsurge of abusive behaviour among primary school children and the chilling account of the brutal treatment inflicted on two 10 and 11 year old boys by boys of a similar age, I feel society is heading down a steep and dangerous path.

The word ‛respect' is now almost a clich√© because very few people have it for anyone or anything. But I come from a generation where we were taught respect for those in authority and the classroom or the playground were not the often violent and frightening places they are sometimes today because we knew we would get disciplined by our teachers if we behaved in an anti social way. We were taught manners, because having good manners means treating other people with respect and consideration. However, they need to be taught to children when they are young.

So much is learned by example, and good role models are important. Parents are very happy to blame teachers when children don't do well at school, but if teachers don't have the backing of parents when trying to help mould them for later life - what hope is there for the future?

We live in a time when children know ‛their rights' and teachers are not allowed to cuddle children if they are upset, never mind discipline them when necessary, and so what should we expect?

It really is time to bring some common sense back into the class room and support the people who are responsible for developing and nurturing our children for about 50% of their young lives. Parents need to take much more responsibility for their own offspring.

Like anything else, teaching children manners and discipline takes time and energy and having been a working mother myself, I know how hard it is when you are dog tired after work to make sure your little darlings don't just snatch the drink you offer them or disappear from the table without asking to get down. It's all the more difficult if you haven't seen them all day - no parents want to be constantly correcting their children the minute they walk through the door.

But, starting with the little things is crucial and it does pay dividends in later life. That's why we have created ‛Nice Bear Naughty Bear' a card game to teach young children good manners and social skills (¬£5.99 plus p&p). Social skills are really important if children are going to integrate well at school and later in the world, being considerate and having good manners means they will get on better with teachers and classmates alike.

Not that having good manners are a cure all, but I can't help remembering a survey that came out recently on graduates. It said that many British graduates are lacking in manners, selfish and with an over inflated idea of their own ability and some employers would rather leave situations vacant than employ people with such a mindset. It is a sad indictment on a generation that were brought up with out being taught the significance of respect for those in authority and good manners.

Teaching your children the importance of manners will give them a head start because people buy from people and a bit of good old fashioned charm and politeness can go a long way!

See what else Diana has to say on manners by clicking here...or visit www.publicimage.co.uk